flee
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to leave a place very quickly because you are in danger or afraid.
to run away from a place or situation of perceived danger. Often used intransitively or with a direct object representing the location or threat.
Simple“Thousands of people had to flee their homes when the fire started spreading.”
In context“As the floodwaters rose, residents were forced to flee to higher ground, leaving most of their belongings behind.”
UsageThe past tense is 'fled'.
PitfallThe family fleed the country during the war. The family fled the country during the war.The past tense and past participle of 'flee' is 'fled', not 'fleed'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
to disappear or pass by very fast.
to pass away or vanish rapidly; often used in literary contexts regarding time or abstract concepts.
Simple“All my worries seemed to flee as soon as I saw the ocean.”
In context“In the heat of the moment, his courage began to flee, replaced by a cold sense of dread.”
Usage flee their homes
“Wildfires fuelled by record heat are ravaging Europe, burning around 500,000 hectares and forcing thousands to flee.”
“France, which has already suffered a series of major fires this season, saw another start in the southwest that forced more than 500 people to flee, officials said Friday.”
From Middle English flen, from Old English flēon, from Proto-West Germanic fleuhan, from Proto-Germanic fleuhaną, from Proto-Indo-European plewk-, plew- (“to fly, flow, run”). Cognate with Dutch vlieden, German fliehen, Icelandic flýja, Swedish fly, Gothic 𐌸𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽 (þliuhan). Within English, related to fly and more distantly to flow.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.